Cooled converter assemblies



May 7, 1957 E. zANToP cooLED CONVERTER AssEMBLIEs Filed Feb. 25, 1953 ATTORNEYS COOLED CONVERTER ASSEMBLIES Ernst Zantop, Wettingen, Switzerland, assignor to Aktiengesellschaft Brown, Boveri & Cie, Baden, Switzerland, a joint-stock company Application February 25, 1953, Serial No. 338,787 Claims priority, application Switzerland February 28, 1952 Claims. (Cl. 315-113) This invention relates to cooled converter assemblies which include, as a constructional unit, on'e or more single-anode vapor arc converters in metallic tanks and a circulating cooling system for the converter or converters supported on a metal box or box type frame which is insulated from ground.

Objects of the invention are to provide converter assemblies of one or more single-anode converters of vapor arc type in metallic tanks, and in which the converter or converter and auxiliary equipment are supported on a box type frame which is insulated from ground and in direct electrical contact with the cathodes of the converters. An object is to provide a cooled converter assembly of the type stated in which the manifolds or headers for circulating a cooling fluid to and from the converters are located above the converter tanks.

These and other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which the single iigure is a somewhat schematic front elevation, with parts in section, of a converter assembly embodying the invention.

ln the drawing, the reference numerals 1a, 1b and 1c identify the metal tanks of single-anode vapor arc converters of the usual type such as employed as rectiiiers or inverters. The anodes, not shown, are insulated from the respective tanks by insulators 2a, 2b, 2c and are provided With conventional cooling heads 3a, 3b, 3c respectively. The cathode containers 4a, 4b, 4c are also insulated from their tanks in conventional manner, not shown, and the converter tanks are supported on the top 5 of a metal box or box type frame F by legs 6, preferably three in number, which are secured to the cathode containers. The several tanks are thus insulated from each other and from the supporting frame F, but the cathodes of the converters all have the potential of the frame which is insulated from the ground by insulators 7. The converters have the usual ignition and exciter electrodes, and preferably are yof the control grid type.

The structural members of the supporting frame F are not shown in detail as the components may be arranged according to any good engineering design to form a frame of adequate strength to support the assembly and of parallelepiped form for ready attachment of the plates and doors which form a box or housing for the coolant pump 8 and reflux condenser 9, and for the auxiliary devices associated with the ignition, excitation and control elements. The heavy elements are located on the bottom wall 10 of the supporting frame F but auxiliary devices of lighter weight, such as indicated by broken line blocks 11, 12 are preferably arranged on hinged doors 13, 14 of the frame so that they can be swung out with the doors for ready access. When the door 14 is fully opened, the nest of tubes, not shown, of the reiiux condenser may be pulled out for cleaning or replacement.

The cooling medium, which is usually water, passes from the reflux condenser 9 through pipe 15 and into the coolant header 16 which is connected by pipes 17a, 17h,

2,791,722 Patented May 7, 1957 17e to the inlets of the cooling systems of the several converters at the cathode containers 4a, 4b and 4c, respectively. The outlet pipes 18a, 18b, 18C of the several converters extend upwardly to the exhaust coolant header 19 which is horizontally arranged above the converters and the coolant header 16. A reserve tank 20 for the cooling medium is connected into the return pipe 21 from the exhaust coolant header 19` to the circulating pump 8, or it could be supported upon the top wall 5 of the frame F. Y

A vacuum pump 22 is mounted on the top wall 5 and connected to the vacuum pipe 23 which is horizontally above the exhaust coolant header 19 and supported thereon by insulators 24. The vacuum pipe 23 is connected by pipes 23a, 23b, 23C into the metallic tanks of the several converters.

The bus bars 25a, 25h, 25e at the alternating current side `of the converter assembly are supported on the vacnum pipe 23 by insulators 26, and the anode leads 27a, 27]: and 27C extend from the bus bars to the heads 3a, 3b, 3c of the respective anodes. The coolant headers 16 and 19, the vacuum pipe 23 and the bus bars are all superp-osed in a vertical plane, and both the coolant exhaust header 19 and the vacuum pipe 23 are preferably of square cross-section in order that conventional insulators 24 and 26 may be employed.

The direct current lead or leads 28 at the cathode side of the converters may be wires or cables connected directly to the supporting frame F and a conductor 29 leads from the frame F to one terminal of the direct current load circuit (not shown). The other terminal of the direct current circuit is connected to the center point of a Y-connected transformer winding, not shown, which feeds the bus bars in the case of rectification and which draws power from them when the conversion is from direct to alternating current.

The arrangement results in a compact and neat grouping of the unit without the necessity for special insulation for the cooling installation and auxiliary supporting means for the anode feed lines. The converters can be exchanged Without any loss in the cooling medium since the pipe connections are above the converters and the water can be led oit from the pipes into the reserve tank. The water descends from the lower coolant header 16 into the cathode containers and ascends in the water jacket of the converters so that the air can escape freely into the common return header which may be provided with an air Vent at its upper wall.

The invention is also applicable to converter groups which operate without a vacuum pump; the alternating current bus bars being then supported by one or both headers of the cooling system.

I claim:

l. Vapor arc converter apparatus comprising an electrically conductive supporting box frame, means insulating said frame from ground, a plurality of vapor arc converter units upstanding upon and arranged in a row along said frame, each unit being of the single anode type and being enclosed in a metallic tank, electrical connections between the cathode elements of said units and said frame, and a cooling system for said units including a pump for circulating a fluid coolant, a reiux condenser connected to the output side of the pump, said condenser and pump being supported within said box frame, a first header disposed horizontally above said units, a conduit leading from said condenser upwardly from said tank at one end of said row of converter units and connected to said header to supply iiuid coolant thereto, branch conduits leading from said header downwardly to connect with the bottom of each unit, a second return header disposed horizontally above said units, one of said headers constituting a part of the support for the feed lines to the anodes of said units and being electrically insulated therefrorrn, a conduit leading from the second header downwardly at the opposite end of said row of converter units and connected to the intake sfide of said pump and branch conduits leading respectively from a connection at the top of each unit upwardly to said second header.

2. Vapor arc converter apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said supporting frame is of the box type having doors providing access to the interior thereof.

3. Vapor arc converter apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said supporting frame is of the box type having hinged doors providing access to the interior thereof and wherein auxiliary components for the converter units are mounted on the inside faces of said doors.

4. Vapor arc converter apparatus as dened in claim 1 and which further includes a vacuum pump upstanding upon said frame, a third header disposed above and supported by and electrically insulated from said second header, feed lines to the anodes of said units supported by and electrically insulated from said third header, a conduit connecting said third header with said vacuum pump, and branch conduits connecting said third header with each of said converter units.

5. Vapor arc converter apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first, second and third headers are superposed in a vertical plane.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,084,545 Winograd June 22, 1937 2,256,757 Durand Sept. 23, 1941 2,412,907 Pennow Dec. 17, 1946 

